Category Archives: Meditation

“What Do You Practice?”

Posted on by
“What Do You Practice?”
Cheri Harvey, January 29, 2018
Last week, I came across a video on Facebook and I want to share the video and the message with you today.
In this video, this young boy asks a profound question: “What do you practice?”
Note: OK, I found out today that this little boy is repeating the teachings of Prem Rawat, and from watching a video of Prem Rawat speaking about this, I learned that he based and created this teaching from a story he heard while in China. So, I’ll post links to all three videos below. :-)
I’ll summarize what he says here, but check out the videos via the links below.
——
[What do you practice? Because whatever you practice, you’ll become very good at it!
 
Do you practice joy in your life? 
Do you practice peace in your life? 
Do you practice happiness in your life? 
If you do, you’ll get very good at it!
 
Or do you practice complaining? If you practice complaining, you’ll get very good at it. So good at it, that you’ll find fault with everything, like you are the expert on things you know nothing about!
 
Or do you practice anger? Because if you practice anger, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that the most trivial things will make you angry. 
 
Or do you practice worry? Because if you practice worry, you’ll become very good at it. So good at it, that everything will worry you.
 
So, if it is a matter of practice, let us practice peace, joy, happiness…. Imagine the rewards!]
——
So, may I (Cheri) suggest that we practice happiness, kindness, love, mercy, grace, peace, enthusiasm, etc. because if we practice any of those things, we will get really good at them!
This is also how our yoga practice works. It is a practice! And whatever we practice, we will become good at it.
We practice balance.
We practice flexibility.
We practice strength.
We practice alignment.
We practice breathing and meditation to calm us.
And by practicing these things, we will become good at them.
So good at them, that we will experience balance, flexibility, strength, alignment, stress-reduction, etc. in our daily lives.
Yoga is not only about what you do in class on your yoga mat. It is about what that practice produces in your daily life that you live out!
—
Here are the links to the videos:
Prem Rawat (background to story): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmOFWiwfP1s
** Prem Rawat (same segment as what the little boy repeated): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbvSl2r-3E
I hope this question “What do you practice?” will really cause each of us to notice and inspect what we practice every day and that we will make the necessary adjustments to practice the things that will have the greatest rewards for ourselves and those in our lives.

Pay Attention To Your Daily Transitions

Posted on by
Think about all the transitions you go through in a typical day…. Transitioning from sleep to getting ready for your day… transitioning from home to work, school or other activities… transitioning back to your home and family life… transitioning from all the various roles you take on in one day… transitioning between projects, phone calls, meetings, classes, clients, patients, etc….
Sometimes do you transition from one activity or role to another without even slowing down? Do you just rush from one activity to the next without ever stopping to take a break? Do you “take your work home with you”? Do you drag your home life frustrations into your work life or vice versa? Do you feel like all your daily activities just kinda slide into one another?
Instead, how about if you create some ritual or activity that helps you be more present in each current activity/role throughout your day? Here are a few suggestions – and feel free to make up your own and share them with me! 
 
1) Between activities, take a Five Breath “Breathing Break” to get yourself centered, leaving the activity you just completed and moving fully into the next activity.
2) Stretch and move your body for a One-Minute “Stretch Break” (Hint: You can do this simultaneously with your “Breathing Break”!)
3) Give yourself a double thumbs-up and say (out loud if possible <grin>), “I’m done with that. I did my best. I’m moving on.”
4) Say a short prayer, offering up what you just completed and seeking guidance and direction for your next activity.
 
What other ones do you come up with? 
 
Try these for today and notice the difference they make in your day, OK? 
 
Let me know how this worked for you!
 

“Train Your Mind Like A Puppy!”

Posted on by
Do you tend to think (or obsess or regret) about things in the past? Do you tend to think (or worry) about things in the future?
How much of your thinking time is either in the past (stuff that’s already happened) or in the future (stuff that hasn’t happened yet)? 
It seems a common ailment that we do not spend much time truly focused on the present moment, the present task, the people we are with at this very moment.
Instead, we are jumping back into the past and dredging up things or we are leaping into the future wishing for things or looking forward to things or even worrying about things that haven’t happened yet.
While there’s nothing wrong with visiting the past or the future, do you tend to live in those places much more than you do the present moment of your life? Do you miss what is happening right now because you’ve traded it for thinking about something that’s already happened or something that hasn’t happened yet? What beauty are you forgoing right now?
Would you believe that training your mind like a puppy will help you live more and appreciate more in the present moment? Several years ago, I read this tip about meditation and share it in all my meditation classes and workshops. Here’s the scoop:
This requires you to stop regularly throughout your day and think about what you are thinking about! :-)
If you realize that your mind has run off into the past, call it back to the present moment – just like you call back a little puppy that dashes off. If you realize that your thoughts have run off to dwell on something in your future, call your thoughts back to the here and now.
You understand how the concept works when you are training a little puppy. It wants to run and wander and explore constantly and you have to call it back to your side. Same with your mind. While it’s ok to wander and explore sometimes, you must train your mind to come back to the present and focus on the task, the beauty, the person, the conversation, etc. that’s happening right here, right now. 
So, your challenge for today is to observe your own mind and your own thoughts throughout your day. When you find your mind wandering off to the past or the future, call it back  to the present moment, just like training a little puppy.
Notice what is happening right now. Really explore this moment of your life… this breath… it’s really all that truly exists. 
 

Yoga For Emotional and Mental Stability

Posted on by
Reply
In Class This Week, we’ll focus on three things:
  1. Lunges – We’ll practice variations of the lunge pose, including Warrior 1 modifications, low lunge and high lunge. These poses stretch the groin and legs, strengthen your legs and arms and increase your balance.
  2. Emotional and Mental Stability – We’ll do an 8-minute, 4-pose soothing Kundalini Yoga set (kriya) that does wonders for your nervous system in a very short amount of time and will leave you feeling mentally and emotionally calm, relaxed and stable. It’s my favorite – works every time! Oh yeah!!
  3. Pranic Meditation – In this 5-minute meditation, you’ll focus on your breath and the prana (life force) that is carried by your breath. According to Yogi Bhajan, this meditation “fertilizes the brain” to help eliminate depression and fatigue, provides a constant flow of energy, and boosts your health and intuition.
I hope you will join me this week for this very beneficial practice for your physical, mental and emotional health!